Why shoot in Black and White?

C. Hand

Senior Member
Ok, I am fairly new, so this question I am sure has been asked already (so you can point me to a thread if you like). My question is should I set my camera to shoot Black and White or convert pictures in Photoshop? Is there a quality difference between shooting in black and white rather than doing it in Photoshop? I hate post processing, so I understand the hassle of having to do this in Photoshop, and I would rather get it right in the camera, but is there any quality difference one way or the other?

Thanks
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
Ok, I am fairly new, so this question I am sure has been asked already (so you can point me to a thread if you like). My question is should I set my camera to shoot Black and White or convert pictures in Photoshop? Is there a quality difference between shooting in black and white rather than doing it in Photoshop? I hate post processing, so I understand the hassle of having to do this in Photoshop, and I would rather get it right in the camera, but is there any quality difference one way or the other?

Thanks

You're better off creating a black and white outside the camera with software. You're shooting RAW I presume.
The camera doesn't really take a black and white image anyway. If you're shooting jpeg, you can set it to a black and white scene mode and it will convert the color image to B&W.

I would rather do it outside the cam as I have more control over the process.

As for the question of WHY shoot B&W? I do it to create a mood. That old time feelin' sort to speak.
 
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Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Is there a quality difference between shooting in black and white rather than doing it in Photoshop? I hate post processing, so I understand the hassle of having to do this in Photoshop, and I would rather get it right in the camera, but is there any quality difference one way or the other?
Hoping not to sound pedantic I would say it depends on what you mean by "quality". If what you want is an image that is simply devoid of color, and that's all you want, then in-camera processing will save you a lot of time and trouble. No need to do anything in post to get you where you want to go.

Now, that being said, black and white images can (and I would say they SHOULD) be about a *LOT* more than simply desaturating the image. Really good black and white processing is an art unto itself, in my opinion. And that's without eeeeven getting into things like Duo-toning or Quad-toning.
 

C. Hand

Senior Member
Hoping not to sound pedantic I would say it depends on what you mean by "quality". If what you want is an image that is simply devoid of color, and that's all you want, then in-camera processing will save you a lot of time and trouble. No need to do anything in post to get you where you want to go.

Now, that being said, black and white images can (and I would say they SHOULD) be about a *LOT* more than simply desaturating the image. Really good black and white processing is an art unto itself, in my opinion. And that's without eeeeven getting into things like Duo-toning or Quad-toning.

That is what I really wanted to know!! Thanks, like I said I did not know to get really good looking black if it is done in in post processing. I see these Black and whites and was anyone was and to do that in camera consistently. But I understand
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
That is what I really wanted to know!! Thanks, like I said I did not know to get really good looking black if it is done in in post processing. I see these Black and whites and was anyone was and to do that in camera consistently. But I understand
Just to expand on my previous post... Top notch monochrome images require post processing, IMO. That's because you need control over the entire range of tonality (blacks, whites and mid-tones) in the image to really make it everything it can be. Without that control all you really have is a desaturated image. Once again, I'm feeling like I'm splitting hairs with this, but there's my opinion.
 

Osantacruz

Senior Member
Nik software is free now. Silver efex pro is great for black and white. I say shoot raw so you get color but also the most leeway in processing since you can go b+w but you can't go from b+w to color. Just don't stick to the programs presets. They are a good starting point but play with the settings to really get the most out of the power of the program.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
Nik software is free now. Silver efex pro is great for black and white. I say shoot raw so you get color but also the most leeway in processing since you can go b+w but you can't go from b+w to color. Just don't stick to the programs presets. They are a good starting point but play with the settings to really get the most out of the power of the program.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

That is where I do my black and and whites as well. It is a fantastic program.
 
Nik software is free now. Silver efex pro is great for black and white. I say shoot raw so you get color but also the most leeway in processing since you can go b+w but you can't go from b+w to color. Just don't stick to the programs presets. They are a good starting point but play with the settings to really get the most out of the power of the program.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

That is where I do my black and and whites as well. It is a fantastic program.


If you are using Photoshop or Lightroom you NEED TO DOWNLOAD NIK It was worth buying and it is a must now that it is free.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
My SOP is to shoot raw so I still have all the color data to do a post conversion. But I set the camera up for shooting b&w so I can preview the shot in monochrome on the monitor to 'qualify' it.

There's no one, single 'best' way to do conversions. In fact, I now routinely use at least 12 different conversion methods. Which one depends on which I choose in the field. Setting your camera to shoot b&w only will only give you one option.... the one some nameless, faceless software engineer on the other side of the globe chose 3 years ago to be included in your camera.
 

kawaracer

Senior Member
B&W out of the camera don't give really superbe results. I work in RAW but still I put my camera in monochrome when I intent to shoot black and white. It gives me a better preview of dark and lights in the camera screen, a collor preview might give a good image but don't work in B&W because to much the same grey. Black and whites for me demand an other thinking proces, all about the light intensity and compo and not about the collors that makes that 'black and white' is something I (mostly) decide on when taking the picture, It feels like this gives me a better idee on how to process with stronger results. I always try to work to a black to white range in the image. When converting to B&W you can change de luminance of every collor, that way you can create light and dark parts to achieve that range.
 
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